Solomon walked his halls
in robes that took
Queen Sheba's breath away--
fruit of wisdom folded, threaded,
dyed and scented into
every servant's tunic, every drapery
hung in his much-blessed hall.
There is wisdom, too, in my
one room--wrapped, round and round
in waxy pink petals--now,
like some heavenly fledgling,
unfolding daily its brilliant angles,
its many cadmium wings.
We hold these miracles
in pots on desks and dressers
(we common folk). Dandelion suns
embellish our ditches. Buttercups
curl through fallen fencing.
Poinsettias drape their
festive fire at isle ends
of sanctuaries and Walmarts.
" . . . not Solomon in all his glory,"
oh, you beloved little ones holding
a hard green bud of faith.
in robes that took
Queen Sheba's breath away--
fruit of wisdom folded, threaded,
dyed and scented into
every servant's tunic, every drapery
hung in his much-blessed hall.
There is wisdom, too, in my
one room--wrapped, round and round
in waxy pink petals--now,
like some heavenly fledgling,
unfolding daily its brilliant angles,
its many cadmium wings.
We hold these miracles
in pots on desks and dressers
(we common folk). Dandelion suns
embellish our ditches. Buttercups
curl through fallen fencing.
Poinsettias drape their
festive fire at isle ends
of sanctuaries and Walmarts.
" . . . not Solomon in all his glory,"
oh, you beloved little ones holding
a hard green bud of faith.
Love this, Elena!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Beth :) I hope you're having a lovely advent season <3
DeleteThere are many phrases in this poem that this reader wishes to live with for a while -- "dandelion suns embellish our ditches" is a small spark of wonder!
ReplyDeleteA pedant would note a superfluous apostrophe in "it's brilliant angles" -- but pedantry would seem ingratitude in the face of a poem so beautifully articulated. Thank you once again, Elena Lee, for sharing your artistry, so sensitively transmitting what Augustine called the "beauty ever ancient, ever new"!
Thank you, Thomas, for your kind words about this poem! And thank you for spotting the misused apostrophe. Funny how these things slip through! I shall attend to it at once.
Delete